Trump praises Nigeria for banning Twitter

Donald Trump.
(Image credit: Melissa Sue Gerrits/Getty Images)

Last week, Nigeria indefinitely banned Twitter, which many observers considered a concerning move, since the social media platform is seen as a vital tool for the country's civil society. But former President Donald Trump on Tuesday issued a statement praising the decision.

"Congratulations to ... Nigeria, who just banned Twitter because they banned their president," Trump said. Twitter did not, in fact, ban Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari. The company instead deleted a tweet which threatened separatists in southeastern Nigeria and suspended Buhari's account for 12 hours.

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE
https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516.jpg

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up
Explore More
Tim O'Donnell

Tim is a staff writer at The Week and has contributed to Bedford and Bowery and The New York Transatlantic. He is a graduate of Occidental College and NYU's journalism school. Tim enjoys writing about baseball, Europe, and extinct megafauna. He lives in New York City.